Democratic Union for the Defense of African Interests

The Democratic Union for the Defense of African Interests (UDDIA) was a Christian liberal political party in the Republic of the Congo that existed from 1956 to 1963. The party, founded by Fulbert Youlou, was marked by its anti-communism, and it started out with 46 politicians; 11 came from the Congolese Progressive Party, while 5 came from the SFIO. In 1957, the UDDIA placed second in the elections, and the party gained the support of the French government over the progressives in 1958. In 1958, when the socialist deputies stormed out of the assembly in protest, the UDDIA held a majority of seats in the government, and Youlou won 97.56% of the national vote in the 1961 elections. Youlou's attempts to transform the Congo into a single-party state led to animosity with many Congolese and the French government, and he was overthrown in a 1963 coup; his party dissolved soon after.